I've always wanted to fall," Dante remembered the words of someone he once knew, someone lost to the whims of time. Their conversation resounded in his head, and his eyes kept staring at nothingness, fingers clenched but holding onto nothing."Hey. You look a little lost," Crystal said, sitting beside him. It was the first light of dawn, and Dante had been living in the pocket world for a month. At first, he worried about Alan and the others he didn't know, the people he couldn't reach. But then, he decided to become stronger to ensure that he never had to feel so useless anymore."How'd you notice?" Dante asked without turning around. Strangely, he was beginning to miss home. If that death trap could be called a home. Or maybe he just missed Selene; he couldn't tell. There were so many maybes it was hard to pinpoint what he was truly feeling. But, there was a lethargy consuming his body and mind. It was eroding his sense of self. He'd been in the pocket world, and still no changes.

"S, it's time." And the hologram flared to life in the form of Gilgamesh, maintaining the same stance. "What do you have for me?" Dante asked the hologram under his breath while pretending to catch his breath as Gilgamesh watched him, emotionless in his expression. "Fighting pattern analysed. Scanning database. Capoeira." Dante didn't know much about it, but he knew it was a fighting pattern used by dancers. Pathetic. "Okay, I'm coming for you now," Dante ran towards Gilgamesh, and when Gilgamesh evaded, Dante made a feint, sending Gilgamesh the wrong way. Dante struck with the full force of his elbow, the battle song within him chanting in his ears. All that mattered was winning, nothing else. Dante saw himself staring at the cave ceiling and ultimately crashing to the floor. "What was that?" He asked no one in particular, and Gilgamesh stood over him, a disapproving look on his face. "You aren't ready. Your rage blinds you, and you let assumptions define your existen

Dante tuned it out, and as the dome over him fell off, his palm touched Crystal's, and she yanked him inside the cave. Darkus and Gilgamesh rolled a giant boulder over it, sealing them in. "What was that? Do you have a death wish?" Crystal's eyes looked panicked and as she hit his chest with her fist, he noticed that her body was shaking uncontrollably. "I'm sorry. I didn't know…" Dante trailed off because his excuse sounded bogus even to his ears. He didn't plan to make a big deal out of it, but he didn't expect such a thing to happen. His life flashed before his eyes on various occasions, and it felt… exhilarating. What are you, a battle junkie? "You survived. That counts for something," Cincinnati said and walked past him, returning to the rock where she was seated earlier. Darkus nodded at Dante just once and didn't look at him again. It felt like being acknowledged by a higher power. Before, Darkus didn't even show regard for Dante's existence, and now… he got a nod of

"This is the Purge; that none be left alive, and that I carry the will of the gods." As soon as he said that, the room descended into pandemonium, but Fred didn't care; he brought out his mana-enhanced weapon, a wicked-looking sword with deadly precision. It earned him one too many titles. But this wasn't the time for reminiscing. Fred slashed, his strike meeting the empty air. The members of The Order were staring daggers at him, none of them remotely hurt."Ah, so this is the demonstration you meant. It falls a little short, a lacklustre performance." Fred didn't need to be told that he'd been had, but he was the hand of the king for a reason. He couldn't falter even when faced with immense danger."How did you find out?""Did you think we were stupid? You walked into a well-armed base and caused a nuisance. But now we know that the president deserves to die. And so do you, for your little stunt. But? I'll play with you later. I want to see how far you bend before you break." Ali

How was he supposed to take them out? What exactly did they do to deserve such a harsh verdict?Zero was lost in thought and declined to be driven home, promising to arrive early the next day to continue his internship. His actions weren't clear to him, but he couldn't bring himself to end their lives. However, if he didn't do it, someone else was going to. And the person would not be as kind. Especially if it was one of the Enforcers, they were monsters with no qualms about taking lives, even if it meant burning a district to the ground. They did whatever they were asked to, and their clean-up crew handled the rest.He didn't want to drive home, so he took a longer route and left with his thoughts. He wasn't scared of being jumped; there was no reason for anyone to jump him. And even if there was, he could hold his own in a fight. Maybe not to the mastery level, but few desperados became martial arts masters."Down in the dumps, I see," Zero turned towards the direction the voice ca